Claim: The violent protest in Asaba, Delta State, was an ethnic crisis, with Hausa-Fulani motorcycle riders killing people of Igbo extraction.
Verdict: The claim that Hausa-Fulani motorcycle riders in Asaba targeted people of Igbo extraction is FALSE. The protests were primarily triggered by grievances among commercial motorcycle riders, predominantly from the northern region, following the death of two of their colleagues during a confrontation with the state task force.
Full Text
The violent protests in Asaba, Delta State, on March 18 and 19, 2024, resulted in widespread destruction of government structures and offices, prompting the Delta State Police Command to arrest eight suspects and impound fifty-three motorcycles. These protests, which rocked the city, led to speculations about their causes, including claims by an X user, Chibuzor.c123 (@CollinsCCo25074), alleging that Hausa-Fulani motorcycle riders targeted people of Igbo extraction in Asaba.
The post reads:
“It’s happening now, Hausa Fulani killing Biafra in Asaba delta state. Nig 🇳🇬evil country. Country without vision and mission even in 20 – 30 years coming. A lot of people that want four daily bread have been killed by Hausa Fulani jihad. Sorrow…!👎🏻 I don’t know why zoo 🇳🇬 still existing.”
The X user further reposted a similar provocative post by Simon Ekpa (@simon_ekpa), generating over 2,340 reposts, 240 comments, 2,929 likes, and 63,000 views.
The post reads: “This provocation will definitely draw the attention of the BLA/ BDF to Asaba,” BLA stands for Biafra Liberation Army, while BDF stands for Biafra Defence Force, as coined by the secessionist group.
However, upon closer examination of the events surrounding the protests, this claim on ethnic crisis does not align with the available evidence.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search on the claim and found no credible news reports corroborating the assertion. There were also no similar reports on credible news platforms.
While further search revealed that the actors in the protest were predominantly people from the northern extraction, a statement from the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, explained that the protest was primarily triggered by the death of two of the riders’ colleagues during a confrontation with the state task force a day before, that is on March 17, 2024.
His post on X page (@Brightgoldenboy) reads:
“There was a violent protest this morning by Okada riders who had an issue last night with the state task force that led to the death of two persons.
“They mobilised in their numbers this morning, destroying properties and beating people; hence our men were deployed to control the situation before it turned to something else,”
We also got a statement from the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Kingsley Emu, revealing that two casualties were recorded as a result of the protest, which he linked to an outcome of non-compliance to the government’s directives.
Meanwhile, Director General of the Commercial Motorcycle and Tricycle Operators Association (COMTOA), Uchenna Okafor, confirmed in the 3:59-minute mark of a 7-minute video that his task force, accompanied by the police, was enforcing restrictions on night movements when the Hausa-Fulani motorcycle riders confronted them. He mentioned rider grievances over ticket sales as one of the causes.
Additionally, in the same video (5:22-minute mark), the Coordinator of the Arewa Community on ticket sales, Hashima Abubakar, acknowledged that the protests were not solely about ticket sales but were based on the confrontation the previous night, which led to the death of two bike riders.
Some protesters who spoke off the record also confirmed the death of their colleagues while vehemently condemning what they perceived as illegal taxation, intimidation, and extortion by the task force.
Eyewitnesses who spoke anonymously refuted claims of ethnic motives behind the demonstrations, attributing them instead to enforcement measures by the state task force and longstanding grievances among the riders.
Conclusion
The claim that Hausa-Fulani motorcycle riders in Asaba targeted people of Igbo extraction during recent violent protests is FALSE. The demonstrations were not driven by ethnic tensions but rather by grievances related to enforcement measures and regulatory issues, and primarily the death of two motorcycle riders during confrontations with the state task force.
The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Bridge Radio 98.7FM, Asaba, to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
